The series follows obstetrician/gynecologist Mindy Lahiri (Mindy Kaling) as she tries to balance her personal and professional life,[6] surrounded by quirky co-workers in a small medical practice in New York City. The character was inspired by Kaling's own mother, an OB/GYN. Mindy explores life with the help of her co-workers: Danny Castellano, her best friend and love interest, whose religious sensibilities occasionally cause some tension; Jeremy Reed, an English doctor who manages the practice; Peter Prentice, another doctor who was a fraternity jock while attending Dartmouth; Morgan Tookers, a wacky registered nurse and an ex-con; Tamra Webb, a blunt nurse; and Beverley, the libidinous older office receptionist.[7]

The series was initially commissioned by NBC, but the pilot with the working title It's Messy was released from NBC's projects on January 27, 2012. NBC then sent the script to Fox executives who read it over that following weekend. On January 30, 2012, Fox greenlit the pilot, with Mindy Kaling attached to star.[9]

On May 9, 2012, Fox placed a series order for the comedy.[10] Two days later, the title was changed from It's Messy to The Mindy Project.[11] On August 27, 2012, the pilot episode was made available to view online on various sites including Fox, in an attempt to garner interest in the series. On October 8, 2012, Fox ordered a full season of The Mindy Project.[12]

On March 4, 2013, the series was renewed for a second season,[13] which began on September 17, 2013. On November 21, 2013, Fox announced that The Mindy Project would take a mid-season hiatus, before returning on April 1, 2014.[14] Fox announced the third season renewal of The Mindy Project on March 7, 2014.[15]

Casting announcements for the remaining series regular roles began in February 2012, with Ed Weeks cast in the role of Dr. Jeremy Reed, a sexy, British doctor in the practice.[16]Zoe Jarman and Dana Delorenzo then joined in series regular roles. Jarman signed on to play Betsy Putch, an upbeat receptionist at the practice; whilst Delorenzo joined as Shauna Dicanio, a young, party loving receptionist in the practice.[17] In mid-March, Chris Messina joined the cast as Dr. Danny Castellano, an arrogant doctor who works at the practice.[18] Shortly after, Anna Camp boarded the series as Gwen Grandy, a stay-at-home mom and Mindy's best friend.[19]

A few months later, Amanda Setton, Stephen Tobolowsky and Ike Barinholtz joined the series. Setton replaced Dana DeLorenzo in the role of Shauna; Tobolowsky joined in the series regular role of Dr. Marc Shulman, the senior partner of the practice; and Barinholtz signed onto the recurring role of Morgan Tookers, a quirky rehabilitated ex-con who joins the practice as a nurse.[20]

The first change occurred when Stephen Tobolowsky's role was eliminated after the second episode - following re-shoots that saw his character be re-written into a mere authoritarian figure in the office - when it was decided that "they didn't really want Mindy to have a boss in the office".[21] Tobolowsky returned, albeit in a voice-over only role, in the eighth episode to explain that his character had retired.

The second change of the season, which was first reported on November 20, 2012, saw Amanda Setton's role also eliminated entirely and Anna Camp downgraded to a recurring cast member. They both departed after the twelfth episode.[22] Despite becoming a recurring cast member, Camp only made a single appearance in the seventeenth episode.[23] Neither Setton or Camp's characters had their absence referenced, nor were they mentioned again.

The first change for the second season, which occurred before production of the season began, saw Xosha Roquemore upgraded to a series regular role after recurring in the final three episodes of the previous season.[24]

The second change, which occurred just prior to the production of the season's fifth episode, resulted in Adam Pally also being upgraded to a series regular role. He had previously signed onto the series in a recurring role but had filmed only two episodes prior to being promoted.[25]

The first change of the third season occurred prior to the start of production and saw Zoe Jarman's role eliminated from the show.[26] Like Setton and Camp's departures in the first season, the absence of her character was never addressed. Although, Jarman's exit from this show was not considered permanent at all, because her talent of being romantic comedy actress in this show is considered too strongly permanent enough not to let go. It was stated that there is an option for her to return in a guest starring role in the future, but to date no appearance has been announced yet.

The second cast change of the season was announced on November 21, 2014, and saw Adam Pally leave the series after the season's thirteenth episode. His departure after the thirteenth episode of the season was a condition of his upgrade to a series regular that had occurred the previous year. Unlike Jarman's exit which said there was only an option for guest appearances, it was reported that Pally is "expected to make occasional guest appearances".[27] Pally made multiple guest appearances after his departure, where he was still credited amongst the regular cast in episodes he appeared, making his final appearance as a part of the main cast in the third season finale.

In December 2015 it was reported that Fortune Feimster had been upgraded to a series regular role beginning with the fourteenth episode of the fourth season, after appearing in seven of the first thirteen episodes.[28]Garret Dillahunt joined the show in a major recurring role as Dr. Jody Kimball-Kinney.[29]

In June 2016, it was announced that Chris Messina would not be returning as a series regular for season five, but will instead appear as a recurring guest star.[30]

The Mindy Project received positive reviews from critics, with many highlighting Kaling's performance and her unique character, as well as the writing and directing.[31] On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has a rating of 81%, based on 48 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Mindy Project is such a charming comedy, led by Mindy Kaling's impressive talent, that its faults are easy to forgive."[32] Review aggregation website Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean based on reviews from mainstream critics, season one received a score of 69 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[31] It was the number-six best-reviewed show according to the site's fall 2012 season.[31]

On Rotten Tomatoes, Season 2 has a rating of 89%, based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Mindy Kaling earns consistent laughs with wit, charm and physical comedy, as she and her cast grow into well-rounded and familiar, albeit peculiar, characters."[33] On Metacritic, the second season has a score of 55 out of 100, based on four critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[34]

Season 3 of the show holds a rating of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes with the critical consensus reading, "The Mindy Project, while still wildly funny, travels further into rom-com country this season."[35]

Season 4 of the show has a score of 81 out of 100 on the review aggregate website Metacritic, based on 5 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[36]

The Mindy Project has been the object of intense scrutiny not only from traditional media forms but also from feminists and people of color, who often weigh in on the show's decisions in casting and writing. At the end of the first season, Jezebel posted an article called "Mindy Kaling Only Makes Out with White Guys",[37] a critique of the casting of romantic leads on the show. The same article contains a response from Nisha Chittal, who has defended Kaling's success in the past,[38] who applauded the show for not making Kaling's race central to her character, and for showing that an Indian woman could date non-Indian men.

During the second season, the episode "Mindy Lahiri is a Racist" provoked discussion as to whether or not Kaling had made "reparations" for showing a predominantly white cast.[39]

Before the third season began airing, Kaling was criticized for a comment in a Flare article entitled "She's the Boss",[40] in which she stated that the show would not address abortion, as "it would be demeaning to the topic to talk about it in a half-hour sitcom." In an appearance on The Colbert Report two weeks later, she clarified:

A lot of women look to me and look to the show, and they want me to be a spokesperson for a lot of issues, and I actually think that's a responsibility that's cool, I want to live up to that ... I want to be able to talk plainly on things but I also want to create an entertaining show. We haven't found a hilarious take on abortion that has not been done yet — but we might. I have faith in us.[41]

In Canada the show is aired by City. Even with its removal from Fox's lineup, City continues to make the show available free over the Internet in Canada.[68] A network spokesperson confirmed that The Mindy Project would continue to air new episodes on City[69] beginning on November 15, 2015.[70] (Hulu is not accessible in Canada.)